“ROMANTIC CIRCUMSTANCE.—One of the most extraordinary
adventures that we have ever heard has set the neighboring
country of Crim Tartary in a state of great excitement.
“It will be remembered that when the present revered sovereign
of Crim Tartary, His Majesty King _Padella_, took possession
of the throne, after having vanquished, in the terrific battle
of Blunderbusco, the late King _Cavolfiore_, that Prince’s
only child, the Princess Rosalba, was not found in the royal
palace, of which King Padella took possession, and, it was
said, had strayed into the forest (being abandoned by all her
attendants), where she had been eaten up by those ferocious
lions, the last pair of which were captured some time since,
and brought to the Tower, after killing several hundred persons.
“His Majesty King Padella, who has the kindest heart in
the world, was grieved at the accident which had occurred
to the harmless little Princess, for whom His Majesty’s
known benevolence would certainly have provided a fitting
establishment. But her death seemed to be certain. The mangled
remains of a cloak, and a little shoe, were found in the
forest, during a hunting-party, in which the intrepid sovereign
of Crim Tartary slew two of the lion’s cubs with his own spear.
And these interesting relics of an innocent little creature
were carried home and kept by their finder, the Baron Spinachi,
formerly an officer in Cavolfiore’s household. The Baron was
disgraced in consequence of his known legitimist opinions, and
has lived for some time in the humble capacity of a woodcutter,
in a forest on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Crim Tartary.
“Last Tuesday week Baron Spinachi and a number of gentlemen,
attached to the former dynasty, appeared in arms, crying, ‘God
save Rosalba, the first Queen of Crim Tartary!’ and surrounding
a lady whom report describes as ‘_beautiful exceedingly_.’ Her
history _may_ be authentic, is certainly most romantic.
“The personage calling herself Rosalba states that she was
brought out of the forest, fifteen years since, by a lady in a
car drawn by dragons (this account is certainly _improbable_),
that she was left in the Palace Garden of Blombodinga, where
Her Royal Highness the Princess Angelica, now married to His
Royal Highness Bulbo, Crown Prince of Crim Tartary, found the
child, and, with _that elegant benevolence_ which has always
distinguished the heiress of the throne of Paflagonia, gave the
little outcast a _shelter and a home_! Her parentage not being
known, and her garb very humble, the foundling was educated in
the Palace in a menial capacity, under the name of _Betsinda_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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